Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Get a Life, Chloe Brown

I really enjoyed this book. I saw a lot of myself in Chloe and I loved seeing her open up and really come into herself. This book is dirty which I expected since it’s a romance but also still caught me off guard at times. The way Red could say the sweetest most loving things to her and then IMMEDIATELY follow it up with the dirtiest sentence I’ve ever read made me giggle, it’s so surprising sometimes. I also really liked how much Red loved her and how much he loved the simple little things that made her unique, it was very sweet. However, I really did not like the miscommunication in this book, I feel like it came out of nowhere and was out of character. I didn’t like how mean he was to her and how close to the end it was, it kind of tainted the ending a little for me. Still, I really liked it and I’m looking forward to reading the other two books in this series.

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amivireads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Loved it and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

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janereads1989's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a good book for its genre, as far as I can tell.

It’s also very much not my genre. Very much. I’ll explain why in a bit, but I wanted to start with the good stuff.

First of all, both Chloe Brown and Talia Hibbert are Black women who experience chronic pain. While I do not and therefore am not adequately equipped to give an accurate estimation of how well this story illustrates a true-life experience, I do have faith that Hibbert’s life experience informed her writing of Chloe. Characters written by members of the community who have lived experiences are always better.

The characters are all distinct and have their own needs and motivations. In romances, sometimes a single party ends up flat and objectified (the “Prince Charming” effect) and it’s good to see two fleshed out individuals in this relationship. Chloe’s sarcasm is well woven through the story and is presented both as an aspect of her personality and as a defense mechanism. I appreciated the three-dimensional view of her challenges and successes!

While the plot feels a bit cliché since it’s a checklist-driven romance, it is nonetheless cute in many ways, and the plot itself is really just the vehicle to represent the growth of this relationship and Chloe’s ascent into the person she wants to be. Hibbert was careful to express the division between Red being a romantic interest and being a “savior” character, and I think the distinction is important. These boundaries keep the relationship healthy.

Here’s why I didn’t like the book… and why many other people probably will. It’s quite steamy. Hibbert doesn’t hold back on sexual content at all. If the characters are feeling something, you definitely know it. Because of who I am, this type of story doesn’t resonate with me and if anything made me uncomfortable, but objectively I can see how Hibbert did a good job here. Early in the book it’s very much a rom-com style story, and then as things progress… well… things progress. There were some dramatic descriptions, but not too many, and the situation was immersive yet appropriately timed. Not my cup of tea, but I know there’s a huge readership for books with explicit sexual content like Get a Life, Chloe Brown and I’m happy for Hibbert’s success.

As a whole, I am not going to pick up another book by Talia Hibbert, but that’s entirely because I now know her corner of the market is not one I typically enjoy. That said, if you are into adult romances, I highly recommend picking this book up! But know that it’s quite graphic in places – it can be shocking if you’re not prepared.

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coolbeancat's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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missiluiza's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Não sou de reler nada, mas assim que terminei de ler no ano passado já fiquei com saudade dos personagens. Me surpreende que tenha demorado tanto pra ler de novo - mas valeu a pena, porque eu já tinha esquecido os detalhes e amei tudo de novo

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2freads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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